The love affair with Everest continued as I marched on with my trekking mates, Arun and Alwa, towards a much higher altitude—an elevation of 4,620 meters. The mountains take on a whole new light in the evening sky. The snow shimmers with a silver hue as the moon shines from the night sky. You can feel the air getting thinner, and it becomes difficult to breathe as one moves higher and higher. I made sure to keep my Diamox tablets with me at all times during the night.

Lobuche is a very small settlement in the Khumbu Valley, with only 86 people living in just 24 households. The village sits at an elevation of 4,920 meters, and the trek there is exhausting. It is one of the last night stops, offering very primitive lodging in stone huts on the way to base camp. You get a bunk bed, and there is just enough water for toilet facilities, but there was no hot water available—so we decided not to bathe. Breakfast was decent: eggs, fried rice, hot tea, and pancakes. I recommend having hot soups regularly to stay warm during the journey, and avoid chicken, as it is often stale. Don’t overeat, get plenty of sleep, and be prepared for aching limbs. As one ascends higher, the oxygen levels drop, and the body begins to feel the fatigue.

From Lobuche, one can also trek up to Kala Patthar, which lies at an altitude of 5,545 meters. There is no internet facility in Lobuche, and one has to pay Rs. 1,000 Nepali just to charge a laptop or mobile phone.

For me, the most fascinating part of the climb was the tombs of the dead climbers. It resembled a graveyard—memorials made of stones and mud, with bronze plaques bearing the names of those who perished while attempting to scale mighty Everest. Among them was Bulgarian climber Ivan Tomov, who died while climbing the peak without supplemental oxygen.

Babu Chiri Sherpa, who summited Everest ten times, spent 21 hours on the summit without oxygen. He also holds the record for the fastest ascent—16 hours and 56 minutes.

Song Wonbin, a Korean climber who died in 2012, fell to his doom due to altitude sickness while descending from Everest. He died at an area known as “The Balcony” at 8,848 meters.

Dead Climbers

Mohammad Khalid Hussain, a film director, was the fifth Bangladeshi to summit Everest but later perished during the descent.

I sat among the memorials to these brave men, just soaking in the fresh air of Everest. I felt humbled by the mighty peaks, grateful to still be breathing, thankful that I had enough strength left in my limbs to carry on and persevere toward my goal—the base camp.

It was an awe-inspiring experience to be among the spirits of these great climbers who scaled the peak but tragically perished. There was fear in my heart for my own safety, but the thrill of being among the mighty Himalayas kept me moving forward.